Volunteers are wanted for a £1 million study into a condition which leaves women unable to cry.

Research into the little-known auto-immune condition Sjögren’s Syndrome, which affects tennis star Venus Williams, will be carried out at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston after the money was given by Arthritis Research UK.

Prof Simon Bowman, consultant in rheumatology, is leading the investigation into the condition.

Sufferers of Sjögren’s Syndrome cannot cry as antibodies attack fluid glands which produce tears, as well as saliva.

Prof Bowman is now appealing for more people to come forward for the trials, the results of which should be available in 2015.

He said: “Patients with primary Sjögren’s Syndrome who are interested will first need to discuss it with their rheumatologist as there are specific entry criteria.

“The fact that the study is taking place is itself a major step forward for research into this condition and its treatment and will hopefully open the way for future studies of other possible treatments.

“We have had some participants identified through public appeals and others under our care came forward as a result of information in the media about the study.

“Many people don’t know about Sjogren’s, which is often misdiagnosed as arthritis.

“We are appealing for more people to come forward. If we find the treatment is beneficial, this could lead to a commercial clinical trial.”

The team will aim to find out if anti-B cell, used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, can also be used to relieve the painful symptoms of the syndrome.

The Birmingham Mail previously told how mum-of-two Helen Winkler, 47, could not cry as a result of the condition as antibodies attacked her fluid glands, which produce water and saliva.

The condition left her daughter, Rachel, aged 18, with only a 50 per cent chance of survival at the time she was born. But now pregnant women with the disorder have a 70 per cent chance of a successful birth.